In July, former Prime Minister ABE was shot and killed. The perpetrator resented that his mother’s donation of more than 100 million yen to a religious group, which was considered a cult, had caused him to live a hard life. However, the cult’s security was tight and he had no chance, so the perpetrator changed his target to former Prime Minister Abe, who was believed to have ties to the cult. This cult is the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church) based in South Korea, and was criticized about 20 years ago for its fraudulent marketing that sold pots, seals, and other items for a high price. A huge number of couples whose partners were chosen by the founder of the religion from among the followers held joint wedding ceremonies. The former Unification Church weaponized its image as an anti-communist ideological organization in order to gain the trust of its followers, and approached politicians, mainly of the conservative party. In return for donating money to politicians and providing believers as campaign workers during elections, they asked them to give lectures, make appearances and give speeches at the cult congregations. As the investigation progressed, it became clear that many politicians were involved. The cult’s strategy was ingenious, and it was not only Japanese politicians who were taken advantage of. Speaking fees paid by the former Unification Church to former Presidents George H. W. BUSH and Donald TRUMP amounted to about 100 million yen each. ( From October issue, 2022 / 2022年10月号より）